St Kilda
A One-Woman Scottish Horror Excursion with Supernatural Foley Looping
Written and Performed by Jody Christopherson
Directed by Isaac James Byrne
Sound and Foley Design by Andy Evan Cohen
Voiceovers by Michael de Roos
Dialect Coaching by Chloe Dirksen
After the death of her Grandmother, an American woman travels to an abandoned island off the coast of Scotland and unearths a dark family secret, in a world where the past is anything but dead.
Following sold-out performances at the Edmonton Fringe, New York-based solo performer/writer Jody Christopherson returns to New York with St Kilda, her one-woman Scottish horror excursion just in time for Halloween.
Set in near darkness, Jody Christopherson, performs live sound foley and looping pedals to create a foreboding soundscape for a tale of supernatural horror. Instruments include violin bows on bowls of water, cigar box guitars, pie tins full of salt, folk singing and more. Special effects include haze, and an experimental lighting system all operated by Ms. Christopherson from stage. This narrative is inspired by the historic 1930 evacuation of Hirta, St Kilda's only inhabitable island and the role that music plays in women's narratives. It features the lost music of the archipelago, discovered in 2016.
The equipment in the show is underwritten by Alexander Sanger and The New York Community Trust.
https://jodychristopherson.wixsite.com/jodychristopherson/st-kilda
PRESS
"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [C]reating a chilling atmosphere through light and sound onstage, Christopherson delivers one of the creepiest performances at this years’ Fringe." -- Global News, Canada
"Chilling, scarily good." -- Theasy.com, New York
"One of the funniest, spookiest experiences I’ve ever had at the theater. With the timing of a seasoned comedian, Christopherson sparkles as a story-teller. She’s a visionary in the theater world and legendary story-teller." -- The Theatre Times, New York
"If you like Laurie Anderson, try St Kilda.” -- Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A not-so-typical, one-woman performance that completely blew away the audience. . . an amazing sight for the senses. . . enchanting." -- Woman About Town, New York
"The most enjoyable evening of theatre we’ve had in a long time . . . In addition to its folkloric aspects (which spoke strongly to my Scottish soul!), the piece is very much informed by sexual politics in a way that roots it in the Right Now. Yet the Pagan core of the story reinforces expression of female perspective in a way that does not overwhelm the work’s aesthetic virtues, which are many. I especially loved the fact that the very form this piece takes (storytelling), is as old as its subject matter — it enhances the imaginative magic . . . a tribute to what Artaud called the 'Alchemy' of the theatre." -- Travalanche, New York
"Succeeds... brilliantly... otherworldly... skillfully blends the sly mischievous fun of a campfire ghost story with the incantatory eeriness of a Druidic ceremony." -- Beer Tent Reviews, Edmonton
"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ New York’s Jody Christopherson is a quintuple threat – playwright, actor, master of dialects, singer, and most distractingly impressive: An operator of the dreaded 'looper.'" -- Gig City Canada